How often Kangaroo Care?

I am the new mom of a 32 week preemie. He is now a little over 33 weeks and in the NICU. How often do you do kangaroo care? Some of the nurses encourage me to do several times per day, and some say only once per day for 30 minutes max. He is not on oxygen or an iv but does have a feeding tube and needs to be kept warm.

Comments (22)

I was able to KC once aday because the NICU my baby was at was 50 miles away, once he moved closer I held him 3 times a day. Typically when they are really small you have to read their signs. Karson would let us hold him at first for only 30-60 minutes then he would start to desat and we'd put him back to rest. Keeping him warm was never an issue for us. As he got bigger and stronger we held him as long as we wanted, sometimes 2+ hours straight.

As much as she can handle it :) For awhile 1x a day. Then 2x a day. I visited in morning - and DH and I at night. Usually only KCare in the morning. It's so good for them and good for you if you are trying to pump.

I did it pretty much every day with my 27 weekers and sometimes for as many as 8 hours. As long as they kept their temps up, I was allowed to continue. If your little one has trouble keeping his/her temps up, try extra blankets when you're doing it.

We Roo'd as much as my 27 weeker was able to handle which was frequently everyday. However we were not able to start until she was a couple weeks old because before that she had a chest tube in. The only real rules we were given was she had to keep her temp up and if she started having a lot of a's b's or d's we that didn't improve with repositioning we put her back in her isolette. That was rare though. Sometimes she just wanted to be held in a blanket and other times she was just not up for it and let us know that too. There were times we did it for a few hours at a time and that was the best sleep her nurses said they saw her get. It really all depended on her. I would recommend doing it as often and for as long as your baby tells you she can handle. If you are concerned talk to your nurses they are there to help you. Let them know you are uncomfortable or worried and they will help you decide what to do for the day.

Watch your baby. A baby who is gaining weight and who is handling kanga care with a stable temp, heart rate, and O2 sats can kangaroo a couple of times per day. True kangaroo care is always an hour or longer, to get all of the benefits.

If your baby is losing weight or showing signs that he or she isn't tolerating kangaroo care (bradys, desats during kangaroo care or increased As and Bs in between) should only come out once per day. Again, true kangaroo care is always an hour or longer.

If you're running into trouble with nurses, try figuring out what they're worried about. We love kangaroo care when there are only 1 or 2 people at the bedside, and when the parents let kangaroo care work by letting the baby sleep (no stimulation - quiet hands and voices).

Also, try to come in for kangaroo care when the NICU is quiet. I'm a night nurse, and the NICU is a much more suitable environment at 5AM than it is at 5PM. Nurses have more time to help you situate your baby when they're not trying to juggle eye exams, echos, doctor's rounds, etc.

Do any of you sing to your baby when you roo? (LOL, sorry, I love that term so I had to steal it!)? Just wondering if it's too much stimulation or if the baby finds it comforting. Mine's now 28 1/2 weeks old and sometimes I'll sing to her while touching her in her isolet and she likes it most of the time.